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Rain barrels are making a comeback. Whether connected to a downspout diverted from a home's gutter system or simply placed under the home's eaves, rain barrels are an environmentally friendly, money-saving water retrieval and storage method. In wet climates, where as much as 30,000 gallons of rainwater can dump on each residential roof annually, rain barrels divert heavy rainfall from a home's gutters. This can keep the local sewer system from overflowing into nearby creeks and rivers.

Rain Barrel Placement Affects Performance.

Placement of rain barrels is usually a matter of personal preference. Barrels connected to a downspout collect water more efficiently than those simply placed under a home's eaves, dripline or at a roof valley (the V shape formed where two sloping roofs meet) without connecting to a downspout. If you divert a downspout into your rain barrel, be certain that any overflow -- and in most climates, there will be overflow -- is directed to a safe discharge location. The discharge location will be either the standpipe to which the downspout was attached or the surface infiltration area into which it emptied. Before installing a rain barrel, check with your municipal government for possible restrictions on design or use.

About the Author

Meg DesCamp is the author of "Slug Tossing and Other Adventures of a Reluctant Gardener," published by Sasquatch Books, and is currently a Master Gardener Trainee. She has written professionally since 1983, and has been published in "Fine Gardening," "The Oregonian" and "The Portland Business Journal."